Archive for July, 2008
Hi, Everyone –
There is a really important trick in getting healthy that a patient recently reminded me of: Let yourself cheat. I actually require that of my patients. This may sound crazy, a doctor telling you that you should cheat on your diet, but if you don’t cheat then you will most definitely fail.
You have to realize that you are human and that you are going to fail at some point. If you are good 90 percent of the time, you will succeed in your goals. Even if you can only keep it together 85 percent of the time, you’ll be amazed at the results.
When I know I’m going to cheat, I go through certain steps in my head to make sure I don’t take it too far.
1) Stop.
2) I recognize that I really do want one of those cookies.
3) I decide that I am going to allow myself just that one cookie, but not at that moment. I’m going to wait until I can go to the store and get my absolute favorite cookie.
4) Then, within the next few days, I will make the trip to get that delicious cookie at the time and place I choose.
5) I’ll go get it, and eat it. But only one.
6) I eat it right after I buy it. I don’t take it home or in my car because those spaces are too personal.
What are some of the foods you can’t resist? And why do you think that is?
Dr. Snyder
July 30th, 2008
Hi, Everyone -
I get a lot of questions on BMI. What is BMI? How do you measure it? What do those numbers mean?
BMI is just a ratio, and it uses your weight in kilograms and your height in meters squared. But you really don’t have to get out a bunch of scratch paper or even a calculator: here’s a link from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control that will do it for you. It has a calculator both for adult BMI and a child/teen BMI calculator.
We’ll talk a lot more about BMI on this blog, but I just wanted to provide that link as a reference point for people who’ve been asking about it.
Dr. Snyder
July 29th, 2008
Hi, Everyone –
Summer is winding down (can you believe it!) and everyone is trying to squeeze-in as much outdoor time as possible before the nice weather goes into hibernation. And, of course, food usually goes along with outdoor fun. The problem is that, generally, picnic or barbeque food is not the healthiest. The recipe below from WebMD shows you how to create a healthy version of a summertime staple - baked beans. Give them a try and let me know if you have any recipes you would like to share.
Ranger Rick Ranch Beans
28 ounce can baked beans (I used Maple Cured Bacon Bush’s Baked Beans)
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium bell pepper, diced
14 ounce package Louis Rich Turkey Polska Kielbasa sausage links (or similar less-fat sausage), cut into small, bite-sized chunks
1/2 cup catsup
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, well drained (you can leave this out if desired)
1-2 tablespoons chili powder (use 1 tablespoon for a kid-friendly version)
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon minced or chopped garlic (1 teaspoon garlic powder can be substituted)
1 or 2 dashes cayenne pepper (add more to taste)
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (optional — if you want to turn up the “heat”)
Add baked beans, diced onion, bell pepper, sausage, catsup and diced stewed tomatoes to slow cooker. Sprinkle chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, salt if desired, and cayenne pepper over the top of bean mixture and stir well. Turn slow cooker to HIGH and heat 2-4 hours or turn slow cooker to LOW and heat 8-10 hours.
NOTE: if you want to use a Dutch oven, preheat oven to 350-degrees, add all the ingredients to a Dutch oven, stir, and bake for 1 hour.
Makes 12 side servings (about 3/4 cup each)
Per serving: 184 calories, 10 grams protein, 28 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 22 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 600 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 17 percent.
Dr. Snyder
July 28th, 2008
Hi, Everyone -
I talk a lot with my patients about the importance of a good support network. Whether you’ve had weight-loss surgery, if you’re thinking about having it, or even if you just want to lose some weight and keep it off - it’s so crucial to talk about it with people whose opinions you trust.
I know a lot of you guys are online searching for answers: how to take the weight off, how to keep it off, how to feel nice and full and not be hungry all the time, and what options are available to you. Some of you may have come across this blog already, but it’s very interesting and written by a woman who has had gastric bypass surgery. There are lots of topics being discussed, though, and I’ve added it to my links on the right side of this page. Have a look!
www.meltingmama.typepad.com
Dr Snyder
July 25th, 2008
Hi, Everyone –
I don’t talk about exercise very often. This is because you’ve all heard it before and I’m not going to teach you how to exercise. I will tell you though that you need to keep it simple. I have met so many people who are on crazy exercise regimens, and of course, they all end up icing the gym not long after they begin. Below is my perspective on how you can actually keep your gym-going motivation buoyed:
1. Don’t say you are going to work out everyday. Let’s be honest, that’s just not going to happen. You are a busy and sometimes more important things have to come before the gym. To start, try committing to at least 3 days per week. And on those three days, make sure you exercise a reasonable amount – don’t over-exert yourself.
2. Change it up. Don’t do the same thing every time you work out. Change the intensity, time or machine you are using.
3. Have fun. It’s pretty obvious that people will not continue to do something they hate. Try new things and decide what’s right for you. Maybe sweat to the oldies (who doesn’t love Richard Simmons?!) or yoga or boot camp classes.
4. Commit and reward yourself when you meet your goals, but don’t punish yourself if things don’t go exactly as planned.
5. Don’t go home before you hit the gym. It is way too tempting to sit on the couch, just to watch the news, and then maybe just the first round of Jeopardy, and before you know it, it’s time to go to bed. Just go and get it over with, then you can have the rest of the day or evening to yourself.
6. So, what really is considered adequate exercise? Well, I use the following three criteria to judge that: Did you have to change into workout gear? Did you sweat to the point of needing a shower? Were you unable to talk in full sentences while you were working out? If you can answer ‘yes’ to all of those, then you really did exercise.
One more thing, if you think going to the gym is boring, you’ll never guess what the gym of the future might look like! Check out this posting on The Diet Blog about a human-powered floating gym - pretty amazing.
Dr. Snyder
July 24th, 2008
I get a lot of questions on the word “satiety.” A lot of people hear about it but don’t really understand what the word means. The word “satisfaction” has the same root, so satiety is the feeling of fullness and satisfaction.
I talk about this word all the time with my patients and with others who want to lose weight. Everyone knows that you need to take in fewer calories to lose weight, but NOT everyone knows that this doesn’t need to be a painful process.
The key is getting your stomach to tell your brain that you’re full - you don’t need to eat anymore. That’s the concept behind weight-loss surgeries, of course, but satiety is becoming a huge trend for people who aren’t candidates for surgery as well.
Here’s WebMD’s take on satiety. They call it “The New Diet Weapon.” Have a look - you might just learn that you can lose weight without having to feel hungry all the time!
- Dr. Snyder
July 22nd, 2008
Hi, Everyone –
A patient of mine recently reminded me of one of the most important parts of losing weight and keeping it off: Integrity. She amazingly lost 140 pounds a year after her gastric bypass and at her two-year, post-operative appointment she had gained back about 15 pounds. She said she was having trouble because she just didn’t have control and could not help but eat a bag of chips and some chocolate every day.
I know that losing weight and keeping it off is no easy feat, but the thing is that you really do have control. I asked her how often she cheats on her husband, how often she drinks to excess, how often she recklessly drives 120 mph plus on the highway and her answer to all of those was, of course, never! There are a lot of things in life we have absolutely no say in whatsoever so it is important to have control in those few areas in life we can actually control.
It is not a good feeling to be out of control so take control of your diet and your life now. That way, you can focus on all of the really important things in life. It’s all about recognizing what your obstacles are to gaining control and dealing with those.
I’m interested in hearing more about your obstacles to creating a healthy lifestyle. What stands in your way?
Dr. Snyder
July 21st, 2008
Hi, Everyone –
The Atkins diet has apparently been vindicated. A study was released today in the New England Journal of Medicine that compared low-carb, Mediterranean and low-fat diets. Now, I think that most people would assume that, while Atkins will melt away the pounds in the short term, it is not the healthiest option in the long-term.
Well, the study found that a low-carb, Mediterranean-style diet was the ticket to weight-loss. The two-year study also found that those sticking to an Atkins-esqe diet improved cholesterol overall as well.
The media buzz is already touting this as ground-breaking news, but if you really think about it, this is information everyone already knows. A low-carb, Mediterranean diet does not mean you just eat hamburger patties, it is full of vegetables, lean meats and proteins. Thanks for the study, but we already knew that.
Dr. Snyder
July 17th, 2008
Hi, Everyone –
Okay, so you are thirsty after your workout and you need a drink. You just watched that giant body builder sweat all over the spout and you just can’t bring yourself to drink out of it. If I had a dollar for every time that happened, I could retire. So you decide to go get a refreshing post-workout drink, maybe some Vitamin Water or a Gatorade, and then you undo all of your hard work.
Cutting out soda, juices and other sugary drinks is one of the first things most people do when they are getting healthy, but how many of us think about the amount of sugar in these sports drinks? Drinking too many calories is a surefire way to derail your diet. Sure they taste good, but make sure you factor in the sugar, calories and the fact that one bottle is generally two or more servings.
For example, most flavors of celebrity-endorsed Vitamin Water have around 125 calories and close to 30 grams of sugar. In only 8 ounces, Gatorade has 50 calories and 14 grams of sugar. While drinks like Gatorade do replenish electrolytes, if you are focusing on losing weight and are not a serious athlete, you might want to stay away from those empty calories.
Dr. Snyder
July 16th, 2008
Hi, Everyone –
When it comes to losing weight, there are a million products out there that promise a quick fix. It can be hard to sift through what will work and what is just a gimmick. I can promise you this, any product that guarantees you can eat as much as you want, of whatever you want, is probably not the right choice. The best thing I can tell you is do your homework.
There is only one FDA approved over-the-counter diet pill (Alli, the little diet pill with the big side effects), so it is important to be a discerning consumer. Hype and claims of miracle weight-loss drugs generally die hard – remember the devastating Phen-Phen disaster?
Drug giant GlaxoSmithKline is currently pushing the FDA to begin regulating products making diet claims. This is an interesting development since GSK’s star FDA approved diet drug, Alli, has had lower than expected sales in the first year. I’m betting this probably will not happen in the near future so it’s up to you to check out these products for yourself.
Here’s the deal: You need to make healthy food choices and not deprive yourself. Simple as that. Don’t get caught up in the hype of quick-fixes, just make healthy choices for yourself. Stay full and stay happy.
Dr. Snyder
July 14th, 2008
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